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(H.R.2847) On a roll call vote resulting from a delaying procedure by the Republican minority. The vote was on whether the House should reconsider its decision to table (kill) a motion to reverse a ruling; the ruling had prevented consideration of an effort to add language to an appropriation bill prohibiting any funds from being used to provide “Miranda rights” to detainees in Afghanistan.

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(H.R.2847) On a roll call vote resulting from a delaying procedure by the Republican minority. The vote was on whether the House should reconsider its decision to table (kill) a motion to reverse a ruling; the ruling had prevented consideration of an effort to add language to an appropriation bill prohibiting any funds from being used to provide “Miranda rights” to detainees in Afghanistan.

This was one of a series of votes generated by procedural moves of the Republican minority to protest the decision of the Democratic majority to limit the number of amendments that could be offered to H.R. 2847, the fiscal year 2010 appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice and for federal science and other programs.

The House had previously voted to table (kill) an appeal of a ruling that a motion to recommit H.R. 2487, with instructions to add language to an appropriation bill prohibiting any funds from being used to provide “Miranda rights” to detainees in Afghanistan, was out of order. It is common practice in the House, after any vote, for the Speaker to declare, “without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table”. According to the House Floor Procedural Manual: “(I)f no objection is raised, this has the parliamentary effect of ending any possibility that another vote . . . can take place.” The Manual also notes that objection is often raised, and a motion is made to reconsider the previous vote “when Members (usually minority Members) determine there is a need to slow down the legislative process.” That is what occurred here.

The vote on whether to reconsider the killing of a motion to reverse the ruling was 168-243. One hundred and sixty-two Republicans and six Democrats voted “aye”. Two hundred and thirty-four Democrats and nine Republicans voted “nay”. As a result, the House did not reconsider its decision not to vote on whether to reverse a ruling that stopped the effort to prohibit the giving of “Miranda rights” to detainees in Afghanistan. Another result was that the legislative process was delayed for a few minutes.